"Actually." The Doctor held up a finger and taped his lips in thought before lunging over the seat in front of him. "Professor Hobbes?" The man in question turned around. "You said you have done some research on the history of Midnight, right? Would you mind sharing some of that research with the rest of us?"

Installment 1: The Clock Strikes at Midnight

Chapter 4: The Calm and the Storm

For some reason, Professor Hobbes kept an old school projector in his bag wherever he went and so the cabin was treated to an impromptu lecture on the orbital parameters and surface composition of Midnight. Merlin was leaning eagerly on the front of the seat in front of him; much like the Doctor he knew that there was something not quite right.

"So, this is Midnight, do you see," Professor Hobbes was saying. "Bombarded by the sun. Xtonic rays, raw galvanic radiation. It's my pet project. Actually, I'm the first person to research this. Because, you see, the history is fascinating. Because there is no history." He moved to kneel on the first row seat and stare intently at them. "There's no life in this entire system. There couldn't be. Before the Leisure Palace Company moved in, no one had come here in all eternity. No living thing."

"But how do you know?" Merlin asked. "I mean, if no one can go outside. Professor Simeons only observed from high above and took no pictures of the surface, only raw data."

He thought it was an intelligent question but apparently Val disagreed. "Oh, his imagination. Here we go." Merlin wanted to snap at her but the Doctor got there first.

"He's got a point, though." Merlin's opinion of the Doctor rose further.

"Exactly." The Professor was delighted that someone else understood his fascination. "We look upon this world through glass, safe inside our metal box. Even the Leisure Palace was lowered down from orbit. And here we are now, crossing Midnight, but never touching it."

As if that was the trigger, the bus suddenly sputtered and ground to a halt.

Immediately people began asking if we had stopped, obviously, and if we were there yet, again obviously not. They had only traveled 252 kliks when the total distance was double that. The professor fervently said that in the fifteen times he had been on this trip it had never before stopped. The atmosphere was growing tense and panic was brewing.

"Well evidently we have stopped," Sky snapped. "There's no point in denying it." Knowing the yelling would start soon, Merlin reflexively tried to lighten the atmosphere.

"We've broken down," he grinned. "In the middle of nowhere!" His parents scolded him and no one laughed. The Doctor had also glanced over, not amused, but not scolding either. He looked like he was calculating as the hostess explained that the engines were stabilising. The Doctor pulled out a notepad and lied his way into the cabin. Merlin was hoping that he was thinking along the same lines he was. Because when he had looked up info about the Crusader vehicles he had seen the type of engine and it didn't need to stabilise. That sounded like a cover excuse. Only the Doctor then came out after a minute looking thoughtful again but he too said it was stabilisation.

"Excuse me, Doctor." Dee Dee leaned forward and spoke quietly. "But they're micropetrol engines, aren't they? My father was a mechanic. Micropetrol doesn't stabilise. What does stabilise mean?"

"Well. Bit of flim-flam. Don't worry, they're sorting it out." Just as he thought. Although, if they didn't really know what was wrong, then maybe there was something to worry about.

"How much air have we got?" Merlin sighed. Professors were suppose to be intelligent.

"Professor, it's fine," the Doctor reassured. Only his parents had heard.

"Are we running out of air?" Val asked.

"Is that right, miss?" Biff addressed him query to the hostess who had just reentered. "Are we running out of air?"

"Is that what the captain said?"

"If you could all just remain calm." The hostess tried to calm them down but Merlin knew that wasn't going to work well.

"How much air have we got?"

"Mum, just stop it," Merlin snapped. But of course this didn't work either. The Doctor, Dee Dee, and the Hostess tried to calm them down but they only became more hysteric and soon everyone else was shouting over each other.

"Quiet!" The Doctor finally made his shout loud enough and silence immediately fell. Merlin wondered if that was a special non-human superpower that he naturally had. "Thank you. Now if you'd care to listen to my good friend Dee Dee." She was uncomfortable being given the metaphorical microphone but she stood and explained.

"Oh. Er, it's just that, well, the air's on a circular filter, so we could stay breathing for ten years."

"There you go." The Doctor nodded to her. "And I've spoken to the Captain. I can guarantee you everything's fine." But those were the worst words he could've said at that moment. Because that was always the worst thing to say when something might go wrong. How many times in Camelot had Merlin found that to be true. And even way out here in space, it once again proved true. The Doctor had jinxed them

Thump, thump.